Tuesday, November 13, 2007

(I am back blogging again. Just been too busy having fun to keep up. So this all took place on Saturday the 10th.)

We got up early Saturday morning and rushed to get ready. We decided at the last minute to try and catch the ferry to St. Bartholemy for the day. We weren't sure if we could even get passage because we didn't call and make reservations, but Wendy and I decided "what the heck" let's go. So with 3 car seats, 4 adults, 3 kids and a lot of carry ons, we rushed over to Pelican Key to the ferry dock and low and behold, they still had room. We were on our way to St. Barts, the expensive island of the Caribbean, or so I have been told. The above picture is just a small view at how beautiful it was. Our captain of the ferry told us that they have strict housing codes on the island and about 6000 people live there. They also don't advertise the island to tourists because it is meant to be for just the rich and famous, plus they told us that the locals don't want a lot of people around.

Vaughn and Paul rented us the cream of the crop van, it was a piece of hud, and we loaded up to tour the island. (BTW, when they pulled up in this contraption, they had the windows down and the song "OPP" was playing. I wish I would have gotten it on film. It was a comical sight.) The captain also told us that they shut down all shops from 12-3 or 1-4, so the first order of business was to get lunch. That was a pretty expensive lunch and took us about 2 hours to get. So that gave us a little over 3 hours to sight see. This is one of the many beautiful beaches on St. Barts. I couldn't believe how pretty it was. It was a clean island, no trash along side the road like in St. Maarten. And the houses all had red, white or yellow roofs, and were well kept. Even the little shacks, looked nice and well mannered. You could tell that they took care of the island. There was also a lot of vegetation around with beautiful sights. Vaughn was willing to pose for this shot by another beach. Now don't just think our ride was a boring one, we had quite a few funny things happen. First off the van, like I said it was a piece of crap, and it had absolutely no shocks, so we felt everything, and there were no seat belts. Paul hit this huge speed bump and all of us went flying. The poor kids were strapped to their car seats but not to the actual seat, so they all flew forward and cried. All we could do was laugh. Paul and Vaughn jammed out in the front seat to old Snoop Dogg and Ice T songs. HA HA. Wendy and I were busying keeping the kids from rocking all over the place and laughing the entire way. We also looked like a bunch of tourists with our arms hanging out the windows holding camera and snapping photos of the island and the locals. Some of the locals just laughed at us. We probably looked like a band of gypsies to them.This is their airstrip. It was a drop off down a hillside and then a small strip of asphalt. The planes came right over your heads and about knocked you down. It was neat to watch them take off and come in. Another picture of this beautiful island. It was a long day but well worth the trip. I really felt like I was on a "real" lush island. Not that St. Maarten isn't beautiful, but this place just feels like you have placed yourself in the Caribbean before all the modernization came about.The Jackson family on the beach at St. Barts. It was a great day.

10 years and still counting. Our adventures keep getting bigger and better. Two kids, a residency in Knoxville, Tenn., and many doors to open up, our lives are just getting started. We have been blessed beyond measure and are so grateful for all of it!